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The Cold War wasn’t just a standoff between superpowers—it was a treasure chest of bizarre, thrilling, and downright sneaky secrets. These 10 revelations will have you questioning what you thought you knew about history.
1. Operation Iceworm
Publicly the facility was a “nuclear-powered Arctic research center,” Camp century, but logistically it was a way to spread out nuclear silos and missiles across such a wide space that no realistic attack could wipe them all out. A Danish Parliament investigation in 1997 brought the project to public light.
2. Project West Ford
With international communication primarily accomplished through underwater cables, the United States decided they needed a failsafe option. They came up with Project West Ford, a plan to launch 480 million tiny copper needles into space, and bounce signals off of them. After one unsuccessful attempt in 1961, a second attempt in 1963 proved moderately effective. However the project was abandoned after the invention of the communications satellite, and the obvious environmental concerns.
Photo shows a Westford dipole dispenser, (space needle dispenser), on display.
3. Operation Northwoods
One proposal was Operation Northwoods, a “false flag” plan that involved intentionally committing acts of terrorism against US citizens, and blaming them on Cuba, in an attempt to paint the Cuban government as “rash and irresponsible.” Fortunately President Kennedy did not like the idea.
Photo shows chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, who signed the plan.
4. The Dead Hand
The system is chillingly still active today, although it is surmised that there are a few additional safety guards.
5. Floating White House
In the event of nuclear war, the United States initially planned on moving the president into the Atlantic ocean. The light cruiser USS Northampton and light aircraft carrier USS Wright were each converted into “Floating White Houses,” outfitted with communications tech and Joint Chiefs personnel.
It was initially believed that the Soviet navy was too weak and spread thin to locate a president in the Atlantic, but satellite technology put an end to the plan.
6. MKUltra
The CIA used fronts like universities, hospitals, prisons, and pharmaceutical companies to help them test their techniques.
7. The Cambridge Five
Kim Philby, Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, Anthony Blunt, and John Cairncross were all considered untouchable loyal British officers, and Kim Philby went on to become the head of MI6’s anti-Soviet division. He also helped James Jesus Angleton build the CIA.
8. Project Azorian
Project Azorian saw the United States attempt to recover the sunken soviet submarine K-129 about 1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii. After the Soviet Union failed to locate the submarine, the United States used a combination the Sound Surveillance System, (which picked up a possible underwater explosion), and complex deep-sea sonar to pinpoint its location.
The US then outfitted Hughes Glomar Explorer, a deep sea drill ship, with a recovery arm over three miles long, to try and recover the submarine. Under the cover of mining for manganese nodules, the US successfully recovered a third of the submarine, but failed to grab the rest due to a mechanical failure.
The US was hoping to recover a nuclear warhead, and critical intelligence data. The eventual findings were never revealed.
9. The Greenbrier
10. The Bulgarian Umbrella
The Bulgarian Umbrella was a weapon that fired small poisonous balls filled with ricin. It was used to assassinate numerous Soviet dissenters, primarily in Bulgaria.